The Hill

Children with disabilities are getting swept up in the Trump administration’s crusade against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and its push to end the Education Department, advocates say.  So far, the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) biggest contract canceled at the Department of Education involved analyzing programs for students with disabilities, and the same DEI programs President Trump is seeking to outlaw often provide accommodations for disabled students. DEI is also sometimes presented as DEIA, with the last letter standing for accessibility. “The whole reason students with disabilities are able to be in the classroom and get access to an equitable education is because of DEIA efforts,” said Robyn Linscott, director of education and family policy at the Arc of the United States, an advocacy group for individuals with disabilities. “I think people need to raise their voices to their elected officials because Congress has permanently authorized many of these laws and the funding that go with them. So, while the administration may cancel some discretionary funding, they cannot change, for example, the funding formulas under IDEA that go to states without Congress’s approval,” said Denise Marshall, the CEO of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates.